Feed apparatus for gas engines



Aug. 30, 1938. G. s. MASLE-N 1 FEED APPARATUS FOR GAS ENGINES Filed Feb. 17,1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

BY I v ATTORNEYS Aug. 30, 1938. G. s. MASLEN FEED APPARATUS FOR GAS ENGINES Filed Feb. 17, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR.

ATTORNE Patented Aug. 30, 1938 curries stares FA'E'ENT OFFICE FEED APPARATUS FOR GAS ENGINES George S. Maslen, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application February 17, 1936, Serial No. 64,268

11 Claims.

This invention relates to feed apparatus for connection to the intake'of an engine driven by a gaseous fuel, and while the invention is capable of cooperating with carbureted air as the gaseous fuel, it is particularly intended to be used in connection with engines operating with gas as a fuel.

It is important that feed apparatus of this kind is operated so as to effect a thorough mixture of the gaseous fuel and air before the same enters the engine. When using gas engines for driving any kind of machinery hoists, etc., the engine is usually connected to the driven shaft through a clutch, and when the clutch is open the engine should be permitted to idle at a low speed to save gas consumption by it. When the clutch is closed it is necessary to supply the engine with an increased amount of gas so as to develop the power necessary to drive the driven shaft under load. In ordinary gas engine practice it is necessary to adjust the throttle that admits the explosive admixture to the engine to adapt it for idling or for driving a load. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide afeed apparatus in which the throttle of the engine can be left in an open position to supply sufiioient gas to the engine for operation under load, and in which an additional admission valve or control valve is provided, operating in such a way that when the engine is idling this auxiliary control valve or admission valve will move to a substantially closed position, in which position it will pass just sufficient gas to enable the engine to idle; but when the clutch for driving a load is closed, the auxiliary valve will open and operate to pass sufiicient gas to operate the engine under load. Hence with my apparatus it is merely necessary to set the throttle at a position which will drive the engine under load, and then open and close the clutch whenever the power is required and without making any change in the throttle position.

A further object of-my invention is to provide an improved feed apparatus in which the ratio of the gas and air will be maintained substantially constant at different driving speeds of the engine; also to provide feed apparatus in which a thorough mixture of the gaseous fuel and air takes place before the explosive mixture is admitted to the engine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a feed apparatus involving my improvements, and

' in which a vaporizable fuel is admitted at sub- The invention consists in the novel parts and combination of parts to be described hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an efiicient ieed apparatus for gas engines.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described in the following specification, while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a feed apparatus embodying my invention and representing the same attached to an engine intake, a portion of which is shown with a portion of the engine block,

broken away.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 upon an enlarged scale, and with the upper portion of the intake broken away.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section upon an enlarged scale taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1, and particularly illustrating the construction of the casing and the admission valve that is oontrollled by the speed of the engine.

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2; and further illustrating means which I may employ for regulating the amount of air admitted through the apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detailed view broken away and shown partially in section, and illus= trating a phase in the operation of the automatic admission valve.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5, but showing the admission valve in its closed position, at which time it will pass sufiicient gas for permitting the engine to idle.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing only the lower portion of the apparatus with certain parts broken away. This view shows the air valve in its wide open position, while Fig. 2 shows it in a position of rest.

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7, but with upper parts of the mechanism omitted; and this view particularly illustrates a construction which I may employ for. enabling the seatof the air valve to be adjusted toward or from the air valve.

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a portion of the easing shown in Fig. 8, and further illustrating the adjusting means;

Fig. 10 is a plan of a spring washer which I may employ as a spring in the adjustment, of the air valve seat.

Fig. 11 is a vertical section similar to Fig. '7, but illustrating another embodiment of the air valve which I may employ, having a special construction for enabling the effective opening for air passage to be regulated; and this view also illustrates the construction which I employ when the apparatus is to cooperate with a carburetor.

Fig. 12 is a cross section taken on the line l2-l2 of Fig. 11, passing through the air valve to illustrate further the means whereby the effective area of the air passages through this valve may be regulated.

Referring more particularly to the parts, and especially to Fig. 1, illustrating an example of an installation embodying my invention, the apparatus includes a casing I preferably including a body or base 2, a bonnet 3, and an outer, or upper, section 4, the latter of which is connected in any suitable manner to the intake 5 of the gas engme.

Referring to Fig. 2, the bonnet 3 is secured to the body or base 2 preferably by a disconnectible metal strap 6, and this bonnet 3 tapers in an upward direction so that it presents on its interior an upwardly reduced chamber preferably in the form of a substantially conical chamber '5, the small end of which connects to a neck 8, that forms the upper end of the bonnet, said neck preferably having a reduced diameter or restricted passage 9 at the point where the neck 8 joins the chamber 1.

Within the base and just before the entrance to the bonnet 3 I provide an air valve seat in the form of a ring I ll, said ring is preferably having a conical bore H on its upper side, and presenting a flat inwardly projecting flange E2 to present a seat face for the disc E3 of an air valve It, said air valve preferably including a substantially conical hood l5. This hood is pref erably detachably'secured to the disc is of the air valve. This may be accomplished in any suitable manner, for example, by means of an under-cut flange I6 and an expanding spring 5?. A similar expanding ring l8 may be provided for removably securing the valve seat ring it in position, the said spring ring it being received in a circumferential groove l9 formed on the interior of the casing.

The base 2 has a lateral air inlet 2!] for admitting free air, and when the engine is in operation this air forms an air current passing up through the opening 2! of the valve seat ill, and this air current lifts the air valve it off of its seat; in other words, the air valve floats on this air current.

The air valve is wholly unrestrained so that it is perfectly free to move up and down on. the air stream, and it is guided in its up and down movement as it rides or floats on the air current on a fixed guide tube 22, and the air valve disc it carries a tubular valve 23 that telescopes on this inner tube 22 and is formed at its upper end so that it will operate as a valve seating on the upper end face 2 of the tube 22, which face 24 constitutes a seat for the valve 23. This tubular valve 23 is preferably provided with a plurality of ports 25 through its wall. Means is provided for admitting the gas to the inlet end of tube 22, that is, the lower portion of the tube 22 below the air valve seat, in the present illustration of the invention, so that this gas passes upwardly, and after passing the valve seat 2t will pass outwardly through the ports 25 into the interior of the hood l5. The upper end of the hood [5 has an outlet 28, which preferably is formed in the neck 2'? that projects up into the lzgone of smallest diameter of the tapered charn- The air valve disc I3 is preferably secured to amount of air which can pass the air valve.

the tubular valve 23 by threads as illustrated, and the check nut 28 employed to fix these parts in any adjusted position. I may provide means below the air valve seat It! for regulating the For this purpose I provide a damper-like construction illustrated in Fig. 4, and involving the use of a damper plate 29 having diametrically opposite openings 30 illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4, and which can cooperate with similar diametrically opposite openings 3! formed in the ring or air valve seat l0. Where this air ad-- justrnent is provided the seat II] can be rotated by means of a screw 32 that is secured radially,v

in it, and which passes through a circumferential slot 33 in the wall of the base 2. A look nut 34 may be provided for locking the ring H! in any adjusted position. The radial edges of the damper plate are formed with upwardly projecting beads 29a and the upper edges of these beads are about on a level with the upper face of flange 12. This prevents turbulence in the air flowing through.

Preferably in the upper portion of the bonnet 3 I provide a regular throttle valve 35, which can be operated by means of a suitable handle or lever 36 illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. However, on the other end of the shaft 3! of this throttle valve I attach an adjusting lever 38 having the slot 39 cooperating with a locking screw 4%! for setting and locking this throttle in any desired position.

The base 2, preferably at a point diametrically opposite to the air inlet 29, is provided with a boss at having a chamber d2 within the same into which gas may be admitted from a gas supply pipe 53. The inner end of this chamber e2 extends around the lower end of the tube 22, and the tube at this point is provided with ports 44 for admitting the gas so that the gas will pass upwardly through the tube.

If desired, means may be provided for regulating the effective area of the port 44. For this purpose I may provide a plug 45 movable in the bore of the tube 22 and having a threaded connection with an adjusting stem. 46 that projects outwardly through the head 41 of the lower end of the tube, and a check nut 48 may be provided for locking this plug 45 in any desired position. In Fig. 2 it is represented at a considerable distance below the ports 44.

A stuffing box 49 is preferably provided, the gland 5?] of which can be held in any adjusted position by a set screw 5|.

The gas valve 23 is preferably provided with means for nicely adjusting the quantity of gas that can pass this valve, and for this purpose I prefer to employ a hollow plug 52, which is threaded into the upper end of the valve 23, and this plug preferably has a relatively long tapered tip 53. With this construction it will be evident that by reason of the downward taper of the tip 53, as the valve 23 rises off of the seat 24, the effective opening through this valve will gradually increase. It is also evident that by adjusting the plug 52 upwardly the effective opening will be larger and the how of gas. will be increased.

The plug '52 is preferably held fixed by means of a check nut 54.

In the upper section 4 of the apparatus I provide an admission valve 55, and at the point where this admission valve 55 is located, the casing is preferably of substantially rectangular or square cross section, and the valve 55 is also rectangular or square. This valve 55 is secured to a shaft .56, the ends of which project outwardly through the walls of the casing section 4, and

this shaft 56 is located nearer one edge of'the valve 55 than the other so as tonp-roduce an unbalanced area for the valve; that is to say, :the flap 55a. of the valve located toward the left as viewed in Fig. '2 has considerably greater area than the flap 55b of this valve located toward the right. Even in the closed position of the valve it does not completely shut off flow of explosive mixture past it toward the uptake 5. This valve 55 is freely movable on its axis, and is controlled by the velocity of the explosive mixture flowing past it. In order to accomplish this, the shaft 55 of this valve is provided with an arm. 51, which I prefer to call a pick-up arm, and when the apparatus is at rest, this arm hangs in a substantial-ly vertical position against a stop screw 55 (see Fig. 1). Inaddition to this arm 51, I prefer to provide means for ofi-ering a resistance to the upward swing of this arm 51, and for this pur pose I prefer to provide a resistance arm orload arm 59, normally resting on a stop screw 59a. When the arm 57 swings toward the left as viewed in Fig. 5, a pin 60 projecting from its inner side. engages the edge of the arm 5-9 and lifts this arm. This greatly increases the resistance to swinging of the arm 51. In normal operation, however, the pin 60 merely rests againstthe arm 5-9 without lifting it, as illustrated in Fig. 5; but when the arm 5? picks up the resistance arm 59 it can swing it toward the left until a set screw 6! carried by the arm 59 engages a stop 62 projecting from the upper end of the part A.

It should be understood that in the operation of this apparatus the air valve It with its disc I3 rides or floats on the air current passing it, and it can be raised to a considerable distance from the seat ill by the air current, being limited in this by stops in the form of wings 63 that project inwardly into the chamber 1 at its largest diameter. It will also be evident that the further the air valve I l rises off its seat, the further the valve 23, carried by it, will rise off of its seat 24. In this way the admission of gas through the gas valve 23 is proportional to the admission of air through the air valve. Furthermore, it will be evident thatthe gas that passesthe gas valve will pass up through the neck 25 and be delivered right into the center of the air stream flowing up through the chamber l, and at this point a venturi eifeot is attained by reason of the restricted diameterat the point 9. In the regular operation of the engine the throttle 35 will have been set to a more or less open position to pass sufficient explosive mixture to the engine to enable it to run on its load, and in the regular operation of the engine the valve 55 will be hanging in a more or less vertical position but inclining toward the left at its lower end, that is tosay, the unbalanced flap 5%. Now, assuming "that the engine is running on regular load if the clutch is opened, the engine will immediately commence to race because it is. suddenly relieved of its lead.

This will cause an increased velocity in the ex-- plosive mixture passing up through the casing and will cause the valve 55 to move to its closed position as indicated in Fig. 2. In doing this pick-up arm 5? will pick up the resistance arm 55 and swing it up against its stop 52. Of course, as soon as the valve 55 closes the engine will reduce its speed and will commence to idle on the explosive mixture that flows past the valve 55in its closed position. The vacuum developed in the intake .5 will maintain the valve '55 in this toward the air valve disc 93a.

position 'untilxth-e clutch on the engine is closed again. As soon as this occurs the idling engine will be slowed down temporarily, thereby reducing the partial vacuum in the intake 5, whereupon the load arm 59 will swing the valve 5:5 back to its open position, corresponding to the period when the engine is. working.

The apparatus should be constructed so that even when the gas valve 23 is closed, the air valve disc l3 will be held slightly away from the flange l2 of the seat It].

Fig. 'lillustrates the air valve in its wide-open position with the flange it up against the wing stops 63. In this position the gas valve will rise so far that the regulating plug 52 will be nearly withdrawn from the end of the tube.

If desired, the apparatus may be constructed with adjusting means for adjusting the air valve seat toward the air valve. This is illustrated in Fig. 8 in which ma indicates the air valve seat. This seat is rotatable in the bonnet 2a of the casing, being provided with a plurality of screws 6% that pass outwardly through inclined slots 65 in the wall of the casing. A spring is provided for urging this seat in one direction, preferably This spring is preferably in the form of a spring washer 66 seating on an annular shoulder Bl formed in the casing 2a just below the valve seat Illa. This spring washer is illustrated in Fig. 10. It has a large central opening 68 through which the air can pass upwardly, and at its margin it is formed with integral tongues 69, which project circumferentially, and which are struck out from the material of the plate. These tongues act as four springs engaging the under side of the seat Hla to force the same upwardly. By using this spring it is unnecessary to use great accuracy in the fit between the pins or screws 64, and their slots In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12, the air valve construction is considerably altered, and the hollow bonnet it of Fig. 2 is omitted. In this case the air valve is of crown form, and includes two telescoping crowns including an outer crown it and an inner crown l I, said crowns having peripheral walls that telescope together, and having discs 12 that abut against each other. The peripheral walls of the crowns have a plurality of slots 13, which may register with each other more or less to regulate the quantity of air that can pass up through the valve. The two crowns l9 and "H can be held in any adjusted position by means of a set screw M passing through a slot Ma in one of the .discs '12 and secured in the other (see Fig. 12). This view also shows a .feed tube into which gasoline may be fed automatically by a nozzle 16 supplied with gasoline through a pipe ll and controlled by the usual float (not illustrated) so that the gasoline level will stand at about the tip of a needle valve 58 that extends up through this fitting from below. This fitting includes a bushing with a plurality of air inlets 8| for drawing in air up through the tube W. The upper 'end of the tube 75 operates as a seat for the gas valve 82, which includes an outer tube 83 with ports 34 through its wall, and which also includes a plug 85 that screws down into the upper end of the tube 82 and presents an annular shoulder 86 to rest against the end face ill of the tube 75, which constitutes the seat for the fuel valve. In this construction it will be noted that the air valve moves freely through an opening 88 in the casing opposite the registering openings 13. As the air valve rises off its seat, of course a larger area of the openings 13 will rise above the wall 89 that carries the opening 88, thereby increasing the flow of air. This air as it passes upwardly, mixes thoroughly with the carbureted air that passes the fuel valve 82.

The air-valve I4 is preferably constructed of a metal having a low specific gravity, such as aluminum.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, nor in the claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

1. In a feed apparatus for connection to the intake of an engine driven by gaseous fuel, the combination of a casing having an upwardly reduced chamber, a floating air valve mounted in the reduced chamber for controlling admission of an air current flowing around the same through the said chamber, operating to float on the said air current, and constructed so as to vary the effective area of flow for the air current as the air valve rises and falls on the air current, a guide tube for guiding the air valve along the axis of said chamber, means for admitting gaseous fuel to the said tube, and a fuel valve carried by the air valve for controlling flow of the gaseous fuel from the upper end of the said tube into the air current, and including a tapered tip projecting downwardly into the upper end of the said tube, said parts cooperating so that an increased rise of the airvalve increases the velocity of flow of the air current, and thereby increases the flow of fuel through the fuel valve.

2. In a feed apparatus for connection to the intake of an engine having a throttle valve, driven by gaseous fuel, the combination of a casing having an upwardly tapered chamber, a free floating air valve independent of the throttle valve, mounted in the chamber for controlling admission of an air current through the said chamber and operating to float 0n the said air current, a substantially conical hood carried by the air valve, and having an upper outlet for admitting the gaseous fuel into the air current at a point adjacent the upper, small end of the tapered chamber, a guide tube for guiding the air valve along the axis of the chamber, means for admitting gaseous fuel to the said tube, and a fuel valve carried by the air valve and cooperating with the tube to control the admission of gaseous fuel into the interior of the hood, said parts cooperating so that an increased rise of the air valve thrusts the said upper outlet of the conical hood furtherinto the tapered chamber, thereby increasing the suction effect on the fuel outlet and increasing the feed of the fuel.

3. In a feed apparatus for connection to the intake of an engine driven by gaseous fuel, the combination of a casing having a bonnet with an upwardly tapered chamber, a floating air valve mounted in the chamber for controlling admission .of an air current through the said chamber and operating to float on the said air current, a substantially conical hood rigidly carried by the air valve an upper outlet for admitting the gaseous fuel into the air current at a point adjacent the upper, small end of the tapered chamber, a guide tube for guiding the air valve along the axis of the chamber, means for admitting gaseous fuel to the said tube, and a fuel valve carried by the air valve'and cooperating with the tube to'control the admission of gaseous fuel into the interior of the bonnet, said casing having a seat for the air valve and said tube cooperating with the gaseous fuel valve to hold the air valve off its seat in the closed position of the fuel valve.

4. In a feed apparatus for connection to the intake of an engine driven by gaseous fuel, the combination of a casing having an upwardly tapered chamber, a floating air valve mounted in the chamber for controlling admission of an air current through the said chamber and operating to float on the said air current, means for guiding the floating valve along the axis of said chamber, and a fuel valve rigid with the air valve for admitting gaseous fuel into the air current, and moving up and down with the air valve, a ring forminga seat for the air valve, said casing being of substantially circular cross-section at said ring and having inclined slots therein, and said ring having pins running in said inclined slots and enabling the ring to be moved toward or from the air valve by moving the ring to and fro on its axis.

5. In a feed apparatus forconnection to the intake of an engine driven by gaseous fuel, the combination of a casing having an upwardly tapered chamber, a floating air valve mounted in the chamber for controlling admission of air current through the said chamber'and operating to float on the said air current, means for guiding the floating valve along the axis of said chamber, and a fuel valve connected with the air valve so as to open proportionally with the air valve and admit gaseous fuel into the air current, a ring forming a seat for the air valve, said casing being of substantially circular cross-section at said ring and having inclined slots therein, and said ring having pins running in said inclined slots and enabling the ring to be moved toward or from the air valve by moving the same to and fro on its axis, and a spring for urging the ring toward the air valve seat.

6. In a feed apparatus for connection to the intake of an engine driven by gaseous fuel, the combination of a casing having an upwardly tapered chamber with a contracted upper portion, a mechanically free floating air valve mounted in the chamber for controlling admission of an air current through the said chamber and operating to be raised by, and float on, the said air current, said valve having a tapered upper portion terminating in a nozzle smaller than said contracted portion and of such length as to enter the contracted portion when the valve rises and thereby change the effective flow area be- 7 valve and its seat.

'7. In a feed apparatus for connection to the intake of'an engine driven by gaseous fuel, the

combination of a casing having an upwardly tapered chamber with a contracted upper portion, a floating air valve mounted in the chamber for controlling admission of an air current through the said chamber and operating to float on the said air current, said valve having a tapered upper portion terminating in a nozzle smaller than said contracted portion and of such length as to enter the contracted portion when the valve rises on the air current thereby operating to reduce the flow area for the air current between the side of the air valve and the wall of the tapered chamber, means for guiding the floating valve along the axis of said chamber, and a fuel valve rigid with'the air valve for admit ting gaseous fuel into the air current, and oper ating to open proportionally with the degree of opening of the air valve, the reduction of said flow area operating to increase the suction effect and increase the flow of fuel through the fuel valve.

8. In a feed apparatus for connection to the intake of an enginedriven by gaseous fuel, the combination of a casing having an upwardly tapered chamber, a floating air valve having a valve disc at its lower end for controlling the admission of air, and having an upper extension projecting up into the tapered chamber for controlling flow of the air current through the said chamber, said valve operating to be raised by,

and float on, the said air current, means for guiding the floating valve along the axis of said chamber, and a fuel valve located above the disc rigid with the air valve for admitting gaseous fuel into the air current, said fuel valve operating to open proportionally with the opening of the air valve, a ring forming a seat for the air valve, and means for adjusting the said ring toward or from the air valve to regulate the air flow through the same.

9. In a feed apparatus for connection to the intake of an engine driven by gaseous fuel, the combination of a casing having a chamber with a reduced portion, a mechanically free floating air valve mounted in the chamber cooperating with the Wall of the chamber to form an annular passage around said valve, for controlling admission of air current through the said chamber and operating to float on the said air current and be moved bythe air current toward the reduced portion of said chamber so as to reduce the area of the said annular passage proportionally as the valve advances, a fuel feed tube operating to guide the floating valve along the axis of said chamber, and a fuel valve rigid with the air valve so as to move up and down in unison therewith for admitting gaseous fuel into the air current adjacent the said reduced portion of the ber, a floating air valve mounted in the chamber 7 and cooperating with the wall of the chamber to form an annular air passage, said valve having a seat cooperating with the same for controlling admission of an air current through the said chamber and operating to be moved bodily by the air current away from its seat, so as to proportionally reduce the area of said annular air passage as the valve moves away from its seat, a guide tube, said valve having a tube sliding on the valve tube for guiding the air valve along the axis of said chamber, means for admitting combustible fuel to the said tube, and a fuel valve rigidly carried by the air valve so as to move up and down in unison therewith, for controlling flow of the fuel from the upper end of the said tube into the air current.

11. In a feed apparatus for connection to the intake of an engine having a throttle valve and driven by a gaseous fuel, the combination of a casing having a chamber of reduced diameter in its upper portion and having an extension above said reduced upper portion of quadrangular cross-section, a freely movable self-opening valve pivotally mounted in the said extension of said casing above the chamber of reduced diameter and between the chamber and the throttle valve of the engine, said self-opening valve having an unbalanced area located below the axis of its pivot and mounted so that it will remain open when at rest but will assume a nearly closed position when a relatively high partial vacuum is developed in the engine intake when the engine is idling, an air valve loosely mounted for free upand-down bodily movement Within the reduced chamber for controlling the admission of air for combustion to the said chamber, and operating to float and be supported solely by the air current pas-sing upwardly through the said chamber, and means associated with the air valve for admitting gaseous fuel into the upper portion of said chamber.

GEORGE S. MASLEN. 

